Time and time again, you’ve heard that 2014 was a great year for movies. And it was. But as I looked back at the about 150 films I saw released in 2014, I saw a pattern. There were, in fact, lots of great movies in 2014, and in the next few pages you’ll read about a bunch of them. But I honestly feel like when I picked my favorites, the films I felt were the best released this year, they all were on an even playing field. In a way, I could’ve just given you the ten best movies I’ve seen this year in alphabetical order and called it a day. But where’s the fun in that? The fun part is sitting down and making the hard decisions about what is truly the best. So, below, read my top ten movies of 2014.

So we’ve looked at the best and worst movies of the year as rated by the largest sampling of moviegoers available publicly (IMDB). And as you know, the public opinion sometimes differs from that of professional film critics. As it should, film critics often see hundreds of new movies a year (a larger sampling of content) and have thus have a more discerning taste. So after the jump we will take a look at the best reviewed movies of 2014.

Creating a truly great character is no easy task. Everything has to come together, from the script to the costuming to the acting. But when they do, the result feels like more than the sum of its parts. In a matter of hours or even minutes, great characters manage to feel as real and vivid as anyone we’ve met in real life.

In 2014 we met quite a few such characters in arthouse oddities and studio blockbusters alike, ranging from heroes to villains, comic relief sidekicks to horrifying bogeymen. The only thing all of our favorite characters of 2014 have in common is that days or weeks or months after we first saw them, we haven’t been able to get them out of our minds.

Read our list of the best movie characters of 2014, ordered by release date, after the jump. Read More »

Part of what makes Whiplash so interesting is the uneasiness it imparts. It’s inspiring to watch young jazz drummer Andrew (Miles Teller) push himself to new heights, but also disturbing to see the path he takes to get there.

Ultimately, we’re left to wonder if all the abuse he suffered at the hands of Fletcher (J.K. Simmons) was worth it. And while all viewers will have to determine that for themselves, writer-director Damien Chazelle, for one, has a pretty clear idea of what happened next. Hit the jump to read Chazelle’s comments on the Whiplash ending. (Spoilers follow, obviously.) Read More »

December is here, which means you’ll been seeing many articles looking back at 2014. And while you may be wondering what your favorite critics thought of some of the year’s best films, let’s be honest. You’d probably rather hear from people whose movies you love.

So let’s get that ball rolling. First up we’ve got Edgar Wright. Wright had a unique year. The director began 2014 full steam ahead getting ready to make a Marvel Studios movie, ended up leaving that project, directed a Pharrell video and has yet to officially announce his next feature, though there are multiple options for him to choose from.

In that time, one thing Wright did do was watch a lot of movies. He was a juror at Fantastic Fest. He could be regularly seen around Los Angeles seeing all the big releases, from Interstellar to Nightcrawler and others. Talking to him, you could tell he was hellbent on seeing everything. Now he’s got an accurate, well-rounded top ten list. Below, check out the Edgar Wright Top 10 2014 films. Read More »

One of the many reasons we’re thankful for Thanksgiving is that it cuts the work week short, giving us twice as much weekend time to spend at the movies. And there’s no shortage of titles right now to spend that time on. The only question is where to start.

To help you answer that, we’ve put together a helpful guide that (we hope) covers every base. Hit the jump for our list of 25 movies to watch this Thanksgiving. Read More »

As the domineering music conservatory teacher at the center of Whiplash, J.K. Simmons spews vile, mean, even brutal dialogue. Most of it is aimed at the the young drummer and would-be jazz great played by Miles Teller. Is the teacher just using a bit of old-school motivation, or is he really out of his mind? The guy’s propensity to throw things suggests the latter, but the student isn’t exactly balanced either. Each drives the other a little further over the edge.

This Whiplash international trailer isn’t rated “red” by the MPAA, because it comes out of France rather than the US. But it does feature some of the cursing Simmons spits at Teller. This is just the barest hint of how ugly he gets, though. Seriously, if you’re a fan of Simmons, especially when he shows his mean side, this movie is an absolute must-see. Read More »

J.K. Simmons torments Miles Teller in Whiplash, pushing the kid beyond his breaking point in the name of excellence. Teller plays a young drummer who aspires to greatness; Simmons plays the elite music academy instructor whose teaching methods are anything but gentle. Miss a beat, and he’ll spin a cymbal at your head like Captain America throwing his shield. This great first Whiplash trailer starts to show audiences the situation Teller’s character gets into when he attempts to rise to a level of performance that will satisfy the teacher. Read More »